Lucas 'Luke' Wright
A day in the Life of a Pokemon Trainer!in a nutshell

"The nerve of the old man! THE NERVE!" Lucas cried, on his way to the house. The conversation at his house had been pretty lengthy. Lucas had to repeat it in his mind a few times to get a grip of it. It was all so... confusing. It was so crazy. Lucas would've dismissed the dream had he not had that weird Yin Yang symbol on his arm, and as if that wasn't enough to trouble him, he had that whole conversation with Joresh. He repeated the whole scene once more in his head to get a better grasp of the situation.

****

As soon as he had reached the Trainer's house, he was attacked by numerous questions put forth by the trainer.

"That mark..." he asked. "How did you get it?"

"Gee, that one's easy. I went to sleep one night and the next morning, ta-da!" Lucas said sarcastically, waving his hand as if the symbol was a beautiful accessory. Lucas was pretty annoyed, being dragged like that all the way till his house, but looking at the serious expression on Joresh's face, he told him about it dream. It sounded pretty crazy though, but Lucas... had a strange feeling that he could trust this madman.

Lucas took a closer look at him. He seemed like a no-nonsense kind of guy, who didn't really appreciate jokes and such. Lucas would have to watch himself and his sarcastic remarks around this guy.

"Your guardian is calling you... I know how that is." He showed Lucas his own wrist, and Lucas felt one of the biggest shocks of his life. His wrist had the exact same symbol he had. "I too had a dream some nights ago, telling me to prepare... This must have been what my guardian meant. Prepare you."

"Prepare... me? For what, exactly? 'Rescuing' a Pokemon that only appeared in legends?" Lucas said, making air quotes with his fingers. This guy really was a bit mad. Was he just a fraud, wanting to kidnap him? Maybe he had heard about the symbol from his mother, and had made the same symbol on his hand, trying to get Lucas to do his work, whatever it was? Or maybe it was just Lucas's own creativity blended with paranoia, making up such crazy stories. The feeling of trust and respect returned to him, and he shut up for a while, listening to the trainer.

Joresh sighed, probably annoyed by Lucas's constant remarks. He looked up and down, examining him closely, then said, "I don't really know who you are, but you don't look ready."

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Okay, first off, how the hell can you say I'm not ready? I mean, you don't even know me. And c'mon, look at me! How can you say this amazing kid ain't ready?" Lucas said with a smile. Looking at the thin, weak kid in front of him made even Joresh crack a small smile. Lucas just got angry at this, but he decided to bring up a more important point. "And second, HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW ME!? I'm the richest kid in town!" Lucas genuinely sounded angry at that as if it was a very important thing to know. Joresh just shook his head and continued.

"You have to honor your Arcanian ancestry and follow the call. But you won't go anywhere until you've proven to me that you're ready. I know what I'm talking about. You... you need pokémon. A journey through Arcanum is too perilous nowadays without trusted pokémon by your side." Lucas just rolled his eyes.

"Well, I never cared about my Arcanian ancestry and I don't think I want to prove myself to you so no than..." Lucas trailed off. His mind had suddenly started to think about the 'trusted Pokemon' and 'journey' part. So, wait, Joresh was going to send him off on his own journey? Lucas's excitement level started to skyrocket. His own journey... and maybe with the Highest ranked trainer in town backing him, probably his mother would finally let him go.

"You know what? Forget what I said. I'm in. So, what do I have to do?" Lucas said, excitement in his voice. he hoped that his quest would be something that wouldn't be boring and too difficult, he wanted to complete it easily. Joresh stared out of his window for a moment, then continued his long speech.

"Down at the docks by the shore, there is a big ship from the east that came in just the other day. It carried explorers that had been meddling with things in the Arca Islands in the sea to the east. They had to make a stop here because they said something was wrong with their ship. Some believe they are cursed, but I know better... They have picked up some freepassagers. Pokémon from the islands. The Arca Islands are sacred to us, but the eastern explorers do not care..."

"Neither do I... but ah well. who cares." Lucas thought. He kept his thoughts to himself. So, a cursed ship? He had to deal with a cursed ship? Being a more modern person, he didn't really believe in all this nonsense about curses and all, but somehow... his traditional lifestyle had perhaps instilled a fear of the supernatural in his brain, because the word sent a chill down his spine.

Joresh got up from his spot and walked up to the shelf. Behind his back, Lucas was trembling slightly. "No, I am Lucas Wright, I shall not get scared by a bunch of ghouls!" He thought to himself, but the word 'ghoul' made him whimper. He could see Joresh's head tilt a bit in his direction, trying to figure out what the sound was. Lucas, fearing that Joresh might not find him ready or fit if he found out that he was scared, quickly changed the topic.

"So, uh, w-what do I h-have to d-do?" He said. He couldn't stop the stammering for some reason, though. Maybe all of this was a bad idea. Maybe. He saw Joresh shrug, and answer his question.

"Head down to the docks and find one of these pokémon. They are probably either roaming the shores, hiding in the storage huts or making mischief on board the ship. If you tell the sailors I sent you, you'll be allowed on board. Bring one of those pokémon back to me here, somehow." He answered him calmly and slowly.

Inside himself, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. The Pokemon could be outside too. He would quickly catch one outside the ship and retreat as swiftly as possible. Hearing the last part though, made him chuckle, and he just couldn't resist himself.

"Haha, the old man has respect." He said, giggling. It was just too late that he realized he had said that out loud. He clapped a hand over his mouth as Joresh glared at him, but didn't say anything. He just sighed, as if contemplating whether this was a bad idea or not. This must be really serious, because Joresh wasn't yelling at him. Usually at this point, he would have been slapped once or twice too.

Joresh then picked up a normal looking Pokeball from the shelf. Lucas felt a bit annoyed at that, there were so many other cool looking pokeballs, why give him the least interesting one? "Hey, Jo, being one of the most important people of the town, I demand to be given-"

"I will loan you one of my young but trustworthy pokémon. If you can get it to trust you, and manage to bring back one of the pokémon at the docks before the end of the day... then I believe you are ready." Joresh cut him off. He made it pretty clear that he didn't want to engage with a conversation with a person like Luke. Ever again. He handed him the pokeball from the shelf, as well as an empty one. he then proceeded to quickly push Lucas out of his house, probably not being able to take any more of his talk.

As soon as Lucas was out of the house, Joresh shook his head, speaking to himself in a rather mocking, sarcastic tone, "Boy, isn't THIS going to be a hell of a journey..."

"I HEARD THAT!" came Lucas's loud voice from the entrance. Joresh simply groaned, the boy just refused to leave him alone. Soon he heard the click of the door, and looked out of the window. He saw the boy walk away from the house, and only after he was well out of sight, did Joresh breath a sigh of relief.

****

Lucas grumbled to himself. He had been so rudely been thrown out of the house. That was NOT how you treat a rich boy! He marched down to his house, fuming. To get to the ship, he would need some... resources.

"JEEEEEEEENKIIIIIIIINS!" Lucas shouted as soon as he entered his house. Jenkins scrambled out of his room, his hair all ruffled. It seems like Lucas's maniacal shout had just woken him up from a nap. "Sleeping on the job, Jenkins? Tut, tut." Lucas winked at him, and that annoyed Jenkins.

"Hey Jenkins, could ya accompany me to the docks?" Lucas asked him, as innocently as possible.

"What do you want to go to the docks for, Master Luke?" Jenkins asked him back, also as innocently as Lucas. Lucas gave him an irritated expression.

"Less questions. More wor-" Lucas said, before he trailed off. He saw his mother enter the grand hall, and he immediately stopped talking. He put up his most kind and innocent face as he could manage at the time.

"Lucas, I heard you yell." She looked at him with concern. "Are you in some kind of trouble again?"

Lucas looked shocked. "What? Why do you always think I'm in some kind of trouble?"

"Well, because you almost always are?"

Lucas didn't respond or protest. He just raised his hands. She was kind of right, anyways. He was always in some kind of trouble. His mother looked at the bump in his pocket, where the 2 Pokeballs were, and asked curiously, "I heard you call Butler. Going somewhere?"

"Ah, yes." Jenkins began. "We were just leaving for the do-"

"Doctor! Yeah, the doctor, I just seem to have a, ahem, bad uh, throat." Lucas cut in quickly, panic clearly in his voice. He cleared his throat several times, to show that he really was ill. He shot a glance in his Jenkins's direction, saying Don't say anything please...

For a moment, Jenkins was happy. He had power in the situation, he could tell his mother about their trip to the docks, but then he thought about the consequences. If he told her, he would never forgive him and Jenkins would have to face Lucas's wrath. So he just said, "Ah, yes, we were just on the way to the doctor." Lucas immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucas's mother still looked at him suspiciously. For a moment, Lucas felt she hadn't bought it, but then she sighed, and said, "Okay, then, go. Just... don't get into any trouble, okay Lucas?"

"I won't, mom." Lucas promised.

"Just remember... we care about you. I don't want anything to happen to you. Just... don't do anything crazy, all right?"

"I know, mom... I won't." Lucas felt a lump form in his throat. He didn't like lying like this to his mother. Somehow... it didn't feel right. Yes, he had lied dozens of times to her, but this time was definitely different. This was something that would probably affect his life drastically... but for now, he would have to control himself.

His mom smiled at Lucas, although it was almost a sad smile. Did she know he was lying to her? He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and he could see sadness in them. He felt like crying immediately, as his mom turned around and walked away. Lucas stood there for a moment, watching the spot where his mother stood a few moments ago.

"Um, Master Luke? Shouldn't we get going?" Jenkins asked him. That broke Lucas out of his trance, as he snapped back to reality. He nodded, and they left the house, towards the docks, where the cursed ship was docked.

*****

"So, Master Luke, why are we going to the docks?" Jenkins asked him. Lucas kept silent for a moment, then told him about his encounter with Joresh. Jenkins looked really amused for a moment, as he mumbled to himself, "Wow... Master Luke on a journey... you've grown a lot from that old brat..."

"I HEARD THAT!" Lucas yelled, and Jenkins laughed. Lucas just growled, then started to laugh a bit himself. He just couldn't help it.

*****

Soon the two of them were at the docks. Lucas stood for a moment looking at the ship. It looked pretty normal to him, nothing like a cursed ship. Maybe the old man had just heard incorrect rumors.

"Phew, now that we're here, Jenkins, fetch me a Pokemon." Lucas ordered. It really sounded as if getting to the ship had been a huge mission that he had just accomplished. Jenkins looked at Lucas with an expression that meant, You mad? and Lucas cried, "What? Go on, get me a Pokemon!"

Jenkins sighed and mumbled. "Boy, this is gonna be hard..." He then turned to Lucas with sad eyes and said, "I'm sorry Master Luke, but I can't do that."

"Why not, Jenkins?" Lucas asked him, and Jenkins sighed once more.

"Isn't this your task, Master Luke? I mean, you have to prove yourself, not me. And you're the one with the Pokemon anyways, I couldn't capture it even if I listened to your rather... absurd demand." Jenkins explained to Lucas rather plainly. Lucas just looked at him confused. "Living a protected life really does have an effect on your general knowledge..." Jenkins thought. "Since this is your first time, I'll help you out, Master Luke."

Lucas smiled, but this wasn't gonna be easy. He had never done something as big as this ever in his entire life all alone, independently, and he could feel the pressure getting to him.

"Sooo, what do we do?" Lucas asked Jenkins, and Jenkins pointed to the ship. Lucas realized that they had to go to the ship to get the Pokemon. He shivered a bit, the cursed part still hadn't left his mind.

"Let's go, shall we?" Jenkins said with a grin. Lucas swallowed, and followed him towards the ship. Near the entrance, they were stopped by a tall, strong man dressed in white. A sailor, Joresh had mentioned they would be there.

"Getouttahere" He said, really quickly. It took Lucas quite some time to understand what he was trying to say.

"WhothehellisJoandLucas?" The man said in his lightning fast speed. Again, a pause, as Lucas understood what he asked.

"Jo, you know? Jo, Jo, Joresh? Ring a bell? Or is there no brain in that head of yours to hold memories?" Lucas said, talking slowly as if he was explaining it to an absolute idiot. The sailor grunted, and looked ready to punch him, but Jenkins stood between the two. The sailor calmed down, and spoke to the pair rather gruffly.

"LettingyaguysgocauseofJoresh. Andthatoldmanaswell. He stuck a thumb towards and Jenkins, and Jenkins looked really offended. "My god, how dare you, you ruffian? I'm only a young male of 54 years old!"

Lucas grabbed Jenkins by his collar, saying, "Come on now, let's move on." as Jenkins kept yelling at the sailor, who flashed a toothless grin at the butler. When they were gone, he whistled, and thought, "What an irritating boy..."

*****

The unusual pair of Butler and Boy made their way through the maze like ship. The were walking quite briskly, with Lucas staying as close as possible to Jenkins. He jerked his head at every sound, scared that a ghost might pop out any minute now. Tired of the deafening silence, Jenkins asked him a question.

"So, Master Luke, what Pokemon did Joresh give you?"

Lucas blinked. His face had a blank expression, and he blushed slightly, feeling very embarrassed by his stupidity. "Uh, I haven't checked yet..."

Jenkins sighed once more. Lucas was starting to get irritated by these repetitive sighs of his, as they made him feel more and more hopeless, and made this seem like a really bad idea.

"You sigh once more, and expect your salary to drop." Lucas huffed angrily. It really wasn't fair for Jenkins, as he opened his mouth in protest, but closed it immediately. There was just no arguing with this boy. He was about to sigh again, but stopped himself at the last second. Handling Lucas was already enough, he didn't need a salary cut along with it too.

"Well then, why don't you see what Pokemon you've got? to torture..."

"I HEARD THAT! But I'll forgive you because you gave me that idea." Lucas smirked at Jenkins. Jenkins just hung his head low. This job was making him sick.

Lucas took out his pokeball with the Pokemon in it. He tossed it into the air, and in a flash of red and white, and Pokemon appeared from within, and landed on the ground, stretching it's limbs. To Lucas, it seemed like a red colored little monkey, who had a mischievous grin on his face. Apparently, Jenkins recognized the Pokemon immediately.

"It's a Pansear. Those are really rare around these parts..." Jenkins said, looking at the Pokemon with awe. Lucas looked at him with surprise. How did he know that?

"Hey, Jenkins? How did you know that?" Lucas asked him, and upon hearing the question, his cheeks turned light red.

"Haha... I used to be a Pokemon Trainer when I was young." Jenkins said, proudly. "I don't know how I got stuck here though..." was the thought in his head.

"Oh really? I bet you had lots of adventures. Too bad I just can't imagine you as a 'young' person." Lucas stuck his tongue out at the Butler, and he turned bright red, maybe with anger this time. Lucas decided to quickly change the topic.

"Uh, what does this monkey do anyways?" He said, pointing at the red monkey. The monkey immediately put on an angry face, and bit down hard on Lucas's finger. Lucas screamed, and pushed the Pokemon off his finger.

"GAH! YOU LITTLE-" Lucas yelled, but was cut off by Jenkins, who raised a hand, motioning him to get silent. He bent down to get to the monkey's level, and said, "Hey there little guy, what's u-"

The monkey immediately blew out a small fireball, burning the Butler's thin, white mustache. Jenkins immediately stood up, batting his mustache trying to extinguish the small flame. He yelled and ran straight towards the other side of the ship, trying to find some sort of thing to put out the fire on his small mustache.

"JENKINS! WAIT UP!" Lucas cried, but Jenkins was already gone. Now it was Lucas's time to sigh, now that he was trapped here with that stupid mischievous monkey. The monkey had a small grin on his face, as if proud of his pranks.

Lucas turned to the monkey, and said, "Ain't you a lil' freak?" The monkey glared at him, and was about to pounce on him when a sailor grabbed him from behind.

"You ain't going anywhere, kid!" He said, as the Pansear kicked and punched the sailor, but against such a huge man it did almost nothing. The sailor looked at Lucas, and said, "Well, what're you waiting for? Put this monkey back into his pokeball!" Lucas snapped back into attention, and fumbled around in his pocket to search for the Pokeball. Finally, he found it in his right pocket. He pointed it at the monkey, and red beam swallowed him up, trapping him back into the pokeball.

Lucas carefully put the pokeball back into his pocket, then looked up to see his savior. He was a bulky man, that sailor, which is probably why he was able to hold the monkey tight. "Uh, thanks for your help." Lucas said, not sure what more to say. The sailor tipped his hat, and nodded.

"No problem, kid. I saw the old man running away, and thought you might need some help. You explorin' the ship?" Lucas slowly nodded. "Have fun, then. I assume you must be on Joresh's business. You're free to explore the ship... just stay away from the second kitchen." The sailor walked way, tipping his hat low on his head.

As soon as he had said that, Lucas set off for the second kitchen. He was extremely curious, but just in case he removed the little Pansear from his pokeball, for his protection. Although, he himself didn't know how much protection the monkey would have been able to give him.

The two were able to find their way through to the second kitchen pretty easily. The hallway leading to the kitchen was dark, and gave off a rather... eerie feeling. It sent a chill but Lucas's spine, but he swallowed his fear and walked towards the kitchen. He cautiously opened the door to see an old abandoned kitchen, completely coated with dust. Old pots and pans still hung from the wall, everything seemed to be untouched.

The two slowly entered, treading lightly, not making a sound. Even the little monkey seemed to be a little afraid of what to expect from the old, dark room. Lucas ran a finger along a counter, and examined his finger. It was coated with dust, layers of it. Seemed like it had been abandoned pretty long ago. Lucas was just about to move forward when a pot suddenly fell from the wall, making a loud noise. Lucas jumped up high into the air, surprised and scared by the sudden sound. His little monkey Pokemon jumped onto his shoulder, himself trembling like a leaf.

Lucas thought it had just been his Pokemon messing around, when he suddenly felt a soft breathing on his back. The hair on the back of his neck stood up straight, as Lucas turned around to meet the owner of the foul stench. He found himself face to face with a blackish purple ball of gas floating above the ground, smiling at him with a wide grin.

Both the Pansear and Lucas screamed out as loud as they could, and scrambled out of the room in top speed. Lucas could hear more pots and pans falling behind him as he rushed out of the room. He couldn't feel anything, it was as if his body had gone numb from fear. He quickly closed the door behind him as he exited the room, then stood a few feet away from the door, panting hard. He was insanely tired now, he had never run this fast ever in his entire life. Fear really makes you do extraordinary things.

"Note to self: If somebody advises you to stay away from a place, listen to him." Lucas grumbled to himself as he walked away from the kitchen. He had regained a bit of his energy now, but the Pansear was still on his shoulder quivering.

Lucas looked at him with a scowl, and said, "Well, you good for nothing monkey, why didn't you attack him?" The monkey glared at him, and pulled his ear hard. Lucas yelled, and the monkey let him go, satisfied.

"You know what? From now on, I'll call you Leo, because of your 'epic bravery which is like a lion'. Lucas said, sarcastically. Surprisingly though, the Pansear liked it, as it smiled at the name. Lucas shrugged. Looks like his Pokemon was going to be stuck with an ironic nickname.

What Lucas was really disappointed about though, was that he had not even managed to catch a single Pokemon. He couldn't believe it, the great Luke Wright, couldn't even capture a single Pokemon?! This was outrageous. He wasn't going to give up though, he was going to keep looking, but the first thing he wanted to know was, where Jenkins had run off to.

"JEEEEEEENKIIIII- Lucas started, in his high pitched voice, and before he could complete his Butler call he was slapped by Leo. He seemed rather irritated by the noise he had created, and Lucas decided to shut up; this monkey was not one with whom you could manage a sensible conversation.

Fortunately though, his call had been heard the Butler. Jenkins ran up to Lucas and Leo, panting. He seemed really concerned about Lucas, as he started to ask him all sorts of questions. "Oh, I'm sorry Master Luke! I was scared! Are you all right? Is the Pokemon all right? Did you get hurt? Did you-"

"Oh, knock it off Jenkins, I'm fine." Lucas cut in. He then saw the damage which Leo's fireball had done to Jenkin's mustache. Half of his mustache had been burned off, and only a few black , burnt hair hung here and there. Lucas chuckled, looking at the Butler, and Leo gave a satisfactory grin. Even Jenkins smiled rather sheepishly, embarrassed by all of this. It was at that moment that Lucas looked out towards the docks, and saw the most beautiful Pokemon he had ever seen in his life.

Out there, on the docks, facing the ocean was a small green colored Pokemon. She had a red gem in the middle of her forehead, and her split towards the end. She was a rather cat-like Pokemon, watching the ocean waves. The sun shined off her eyes, and Lucas could immediately feel himself bond with the Pokemon.

Jenkins peered out, squinting to see the Pokemon. "Ah, that, is an Espeon. Found mainly on the Arca Islands. Must be one of the freepassager Pokemon you were looking for!" He exclaimed, excited. Lucas could feel the excitement in his chest grow and grow, until he could hold it in no more. He rushed out of the ship, with Leo on his shoulder and Jenkins right behind him. He quickly made his way to the shore, where he found the Pokemon, calmly looking at the ocean.

For a moment, he stood there, mesmerized by the beauty of the ocean and the Pokemon. He finally broke out of the trance when Jenkins shook him a little. "Well, sir, go on. Capture it." He urged, eager to get it over and done it.

"Ah, yes, go Jenkins, get her for me." Lucas ordered. Jenkins looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"Um, sir... the monkey's only going to listen to your commands. He said blankly.

"Oh. But... I don't know how to battle! Or even capture her for that matter!" Lucas moaned.

Jenkins shook his head. "And you thought an adventure was a piece of cake..." He thought. This was hard, really hard. "All you have to do is give the monkey his commands, weaken the Pokemon and throw the empty Pokeball at it. Simple as that."

"Yeah... simple as that." Lucas mumbled. He pointed towards the green Pokemon, who still hadn't seemed to have noticed the 2 people talking about her capture. She still sat there, staring towards the ocean.

"Well, Leo... so and slap her as hard as you can!" Lucas said, excited. Leo just looked at him, his head tilted, confused, definitely confused. He looked as if Lucas had asked him to do something crazy.

"WELL? Why ain't you doing something?" Lucas yelled at the monkey. The monkey just shook his head. "Um, sir, you'll have to be more precise than that. In a Pokemon battle you have to give specific commands... 'go and slap her isn't going to work." Jenkins said.

"But, he's such an expert in slapping People! What's the difference between slapping a Pokemon or a person! Ugh, this is too tough, Jenkins, just do it for me please." Lucas moaned again.

Jenkins sighed inside his head. "Sir, if I do it, then how will you learn and go on your own journey?"

"True, true..." Lucas said, nodding. "But what do I do? I don't know any attacks of a Pansear!" He said, losing hope.

Jenkins hmmed, falling deep in thought. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up. "I might be able to help you there. I think I can tell you a few moves that I remember of a Pansear."

"Great, awesome! Thanks a lot, Jenkins. Expect a salary bonus this month." Lucas said, excitedly. Jenkins opened his mouth to breath a sigh of relief, but Lucas quickly said, "But still no sighing." Jenkins quickly closed his mouth.

Lucas quickly ran towards the Espeon, and Leo jumped off his shoulder, ready for battle. Lucas saw the Espeon's ears twitch, and she quickly turned around to face the threat. She was in a combat pose, ready to pounce into battle.

"Wow... an actual, honest Pokemon battle! I cannot believe this!" Lucas thought. He could already imagine the Espeon being in the pokeball in his hands. He was grinning to himself, when he heard a voice behind him. "Concentrate, Master Luke, you need to win!" Jenkins cried.

"Okay Jenkins, what do I do-" But before he could complete his sentence, the Espeon pounced on Leo, attacking him with lightning fast speed. Leo flew back, and landed near Lucas's feet with a yelp.

"Don't panic, Lucas! Just keep going! That was a Quick Attack, it's going to be fast, you'll have to find a way around that!" Jenkins said. He thought for a moment, then said, "Lucas, the moves that Pansear has at this moment are Leer, Scratch, Lick, and.... Ember, yeah, Ember! You'll have to figure out a way to defeat the Espeon using these moves!"

"Great, first Pokemon battle, and I fail terribly." Lucas groaned as he kicked the sand under his shoes. This whole business was frustrating. The Espeon leaped forward, and started to attack Leo over and again, and Leo screamed out for help.

Lucas clenched his fists. He wasn't going to give up like this, he was a smart guy, he could figure out how to win this. He just had to think hard. He looked closely at the Espeon, who was now on top of Leo, scratching his face repeatedly.

Lucas thought for a moment, then cried out, "Leo, grab her and Lick her face!" Leo looked up at Lucas and flashed a quick, as if he was happy to see him in action. The monkey grabbed the fox-like Pokemon and quickly wrapped his tongue around her face. The Espeon was caught completely off guard, as she tumbled to the ground immediately.

"Phew, it worked." Lucas breathed, happy to have done it right.

"Haha, Master Luke, you did it the 'Wright' way!" Jenkins laughed from behind, at his own joke. Lucas didn't find it funny.

"Rather than making lame puns about my name, why don't you help me out here a bit?" Lucas said rather plainly, shutting Jenkins up quite effectively. Lucas smiled to himself, and concentrated on the the battle once again. Leo had let the Espeon go, and had backed up a bit, as the Espeon got back to her feet swiftly. She was a tough little Pokemon, not one who could be defeated by one move.

The Espeon quickly threw sand into Leo's eyes before Lucas would react. Leo back back a bit more, rubbing his eyes vigorously to get the burning sand out of them. He managed to open his now red eyes slightly, only to see Espeon Quick Attack him again.

He stumbled, but this time he didn't fall. He had been expecting that to happen. Leo was able to see again now, but Lucas was sure that his attacks weren't going to be hundred percent accurate now.

"Scratch, Leo!" Lucas commanded, and Leo dashed forward, scratching the Espeon in her face. The Espeon landed onto her knees, but got back up again. The two Pokemon were equally matched in strength. Lucas muttered under his breath, as he was slowly starting to get frustrated.

"Ugh, something better...? I need... to wait for the right moment." Lucas muttered. For the right moment, he would have to wait. The Espeon steadied herself a bit, and once again threw sand in Leo's face. It all seemed like deja-vu, the attack once again connected and Leo stumbled back. Espeon raced ahead, readying a Quick Attack, and Lucas realized that this was his moment.

"Leo, Leer!" Lucas cried, and Leo shot the Espeon a look that immediately made Espeon hesitate. The hesitation was just enough for Lucas, as he immediately ordered Leo to attack Espeon with an Ember. The attack almost missed, as Leo wildly fired it everywhere, but his wild hit eventually hit Espeon. She staggered back and collapsed onto the sand. Lucas almost felt guilty of attacking the innocent Pokemon like that, but this was vital for his mission. He had to do it, for the sake of Zekrom... that is, if that was the truth.

Lucas took out the empty Pokeball from his pocket, and was about to throw it at Espeon, when she suddenly stood up quickly. She kind of seemed like Lucas, not one who was going to give up, determined to fight for her freedom, and Lucas kinda respected her for that. But that didn't stop him from getting surprised, and Lucas even heard Jenkins gasp in surprise. But he didn't focus on that for too long, the fight was still on.

The Espeon charged at Leo once again, this time kicking up sand while running. Leo's view of the battlefield was completely blocked, as both trainer and Pokemon squinted to spot the Espeon. Right then, in a flash, the fox Pokemon appeared in a flash from the dust, and quickly struck down Leo from from the side with a Quick Attack. The Pansear fell to the ground whimpering, and rubbed his head where he'd been hit. When the dust finally settled down, Lucas and Leo saw the Espeon just sitting a few feet away, smiling a bit. This seemed to make Leo get mad, as he got back on his feet, stamping the ground with his foot. He charged at Espeon, but was knocked down once again by a well timed Quick Attack to the face.

Leo feel down again, but got back up quickly. He was really angry now, and Lucas could only watch him charge at the Espeon constantly and get knocked down each time. Jenkins yelled at Lucas to try and stop Leo, but Leo just wouldn't listen. When finally, Espeon smacked him so hard, Leo flew back and landed a few feet away from her.

Leo looked up feebly, he was really weak now, it was difficult for him to stand. But, after a lot of effort, he managed to get back on his feet, still stumbling a bit. He was shaking with weakness, but he still refused to give up. "What a brave little Pokemon..." Lucas thought.

Espeon looked at Leo, and sighed. He refused to give up, so she had no choice. Lucas stared at her, as a blob of purple energy started to form in her mouth. After the blob was of an intimidating size, she launched it at Leo, who stood there in shock.

"NOOO! Its a Psyshock! MASTER LUKE GET LEO OUT OF THERE!" Jenkins yelled, but even before Lucas could open his mouth to shout a command, the purple blob entirely engulfed Leo. Leo raised his hands to defend himself, but it was of no use. A second later, the blob burst, just like a balloon being popped. It made a loud explosive sound, and Leo flew back and landed right at Lucas's feet. His eyes were closed, and his breathing slow. For a second, Lucas thought that he had lost, as he bent down to check on Leo. He was in shock, he couldn't believe how easily he had lost. That's when Leo's eyes cracked open a bit, but he was in no shape to stand up.

"OH MY GOD JENKINS WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO-" Lucas yelled, obviously panicked. He couldn't even complete such a simple task of capturing a Pokemon, how could he even think about going on a journey?

"First of all, calm down, Master Luke." Jenkins said, strangely calm. He had what looked like a blue colored berry in his hand. He calmly handed it to Lucas, who looked at it for a moment, then realized what he was supposed to do. "Ohhh, okay." Lucas said, and started to put the berry into his mouth.

"NO! NO!" Jenkins cried, taken completely by surprise by Lucas's reaction. "That's not for you! That's for Leo! It's an Oran Berry, it'll heal Leo. I found it in one of the crates nearby." Jenkins said.

"Oh, Oh okay." Lucas said, disappointed. He had thought the berry was for him to cheer him up. He looked at the berry sadly, then at Leo. Meanwhile, the Espeon watched the humans and the Pokemon from a distance, amused. Lucas put the berry in Leo's mouth, and slowly Leo started to chew.

What happened next caught even Jenkin's off-guard. As soon as the monkey ate the berry, his eyes opened up wide. He suddenly jumped up, landing on Lucas's head, and using his head as a launch pad, jumped up high into the air, doing a triple somersault and landing perfectly on his feet. He bowed down thrice, as if proud of his accomplishment. Jenkins and Lucas just stared at him, shocked. One moment, he was about to faint, next, he was jumping up like an acrobat. "Does this happen when you give a Pokemon an Oran Berry?" Lucas asked Jenkins. Jenkins still, staring at Leo, answered him quietly. "Uh.... no."

Lucas nodded his head, taking in this information. So now that Leo was back in the fight, he could now start the battle again. "Okay Leo! Go and atta-" But before he could even complete his sentence, Leo was charging towards the Espeon, making sounds that one would expect from a crazed gorilla.

The Espeon stared at the charging monkey with surprise. She started to retreat away, but before she could run away, he grabbed her with his tongue. He attacked her with Lick, and no matter how much Espeon tried to run away, he held on, attacking like a psychopath.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Lucas asked, looking at Leo with disgust. Jenkins shrugged.

"I... I really don't know. I think he has some kind of a problem with Oran Berries. Maybe he reacts to it like one would get a sugar high?" Jenkins said, with doubt.

"Are you telling me... that my Pokemon has hyperactivity issues?" Lucas asked, amazed. Jenkins shrugged. The duo looked at Leo still attacking Espeon violently, until finally he backed away, still screaming and jumping around. The Espeon tried to get up, and got to her feet, but then she stopped moving. She tried to move, but her body refused to respond.

"Lucas... she's paralyzed! The Lick worked! This is your chance!" Jenkins cried, excitement in his voice. Lucas looked at him confused, but realized that it all seemed urgent, so he decided to shut up now, focus on the battle and ask questions later. He looked at the shocked Espeon, who was still struggling to move. At least this restricted her Quick Attack.

Lucas wondered about how the complete power and flow of the battle shifted from one to another. How unpredictable a Pokemon battle could be. He grew excited as he thought about the battles still to come. He snapped out of his daydream, when he saw the Espeon form a purple blob in her mouth.

"Crap! Forgot about the Psyshock!" Lucas thought, panicking. Espeon launched the blob and Leo, and Lucas immediately blurted out, "Leo, Ember!" Leo immediately collected a huge ball of fire in his mouth, and launched it at the ball of energy. The two orbs exploded in mid air, and Lucas could feel the heat from the explosion. For a moment, the two orbs burned in the air, until suddenly the ball of fire started to push the psychic ball away from Leo, straight towards the Espeon.

Now it was Espeon's turn to panic. She tried her best to run away away, but her body simply refused to obey. The psychic ball, now with the fire merged in it, flew at the Espeon with blinding speed. For just a split-second, Lucas locked eyes with the Espeon, who gave him a sad look before the ball of energy smashed into her.

Espeon flew backwards and landed far away. The energy of the attack had been intense, and there was no doubt that this time the Espeon was down. She tried to stand up, but fell down with a thud, back on the ground. Lucas could hear whimpering coming from her, as if she was crying. Well... Lucas had stolen her freedom from her, and that made him feel guilty.

"Well, Master Luke, what are you waiting for? Throw the pokeball!" Jenkins said with a smile, and pride in his voice. He was proud of his employer, who had worked so hard to get the Pokemon. Lucas paused for a moment, as if deciding whether this was a good move or not, but finally nodded. He took out the empty pokeball from his pocket.

"Y'know, Jenkins... I've always dreamed of doing this." Lucas said, as he leaned back a bit. He then chucked the ball at the downed Pokemon with all his might, and the small red and white ball smacked her head with a lot of force.

"Uh, Maser Luke, you weren't supposed to throw it that hard." Jenkins said.

"Oh. I'll apologize after she's been caught." Lucas said, focusing on the pokeball. The pokeball snapped open when it came in contact with Espeon, and immediately swallowed up the Pokemon in a bright white flash.

The Pokeball slowly started to shake, as Lucas looked at the pokeball expectantly, focusing all his concentration on the shaking ball, as if that might help him capture her. Leo, on the other hand, was still going crazy on the other side, jumping around, kicking things, digging out sand, but Lucas decided to ignore him.

The ball shook once. Leo looked at it from a distance, noticing the movement.

The ball shook twice. Leo moved towards the ball cautiously, curious.

The ball shook thrice. Leo moved his finger towards it, but Lucas's shout made him flinch and falter back.

There was a pause, then a small click. Lucas stared at it for a moment, then jumped into the air, ecstatic. He did a little fistpump, proud of his accomplishment.

"Did you see that Jenkins?! I CAUGHT HER!" Lucas yelled, and Jenkins simply smiled. He was reminded of his first capture, and it made him feel proud of how much Lucas had learnt in such a short span of time. Lucas ran ahead to pick up the pokeball, but before his fingers even touched the surface, Leo ran right towards it, and kicked it hard, as if kicking a soccer ball.

Smack! came the voice as the pokeball flew right towards the water, and fell into it with a loud splash. Lucas just watched it all happen, too shocked to even react. He was dumbstruck, not knowing what to do at all. He paused for a moment, taking in all that had just happened, then jumped right at Leo. He wrapped his hands around Leo's neck and started to strangle him, yelling, "WHY. DID. YOU. DO. THAT!?" Leo made loud gagging sounds as his eyes widened.

"Master Luke, no!" Jenkins said, and he pulled Lucas back, away from the monkey. Lucas let go of Leo, but still kept yelling at the fire Pokemon, threatening him. Leo ran back and hid behind a crate of strange looking berries, peeping out from behind. Jenkins, after a lot of effort and persuasion managed to calm the teenager down, who still glared at Leo.

"My first Pokemon that I caught myself... and now it's in the sea!" Lucas yelled. Even a two year old could easily see that Lucas was angry, angry enough to kill a 2 month old Spheal. Jenkins got a bit scared himself, but tried to calm Lucas down.

"Don't worry sir, we'll catch a boat near the docks and retrieve the pokeball." Jenkins said soothingly. Lucas calmed down a bit, but anyone could see the murderous looks he was casting in Leo's direction. Leo simply quivered, and followed the pair from a distance as they headed towards the docks. The Pokemon had true sadness on face, he felt really guilty about kicking the Pokeball. But, who could blame him? The pokeball just lying there... was very tempting for Leo, and he just did what had come to his mind. He followed quietly, simply looking down.

The two soon reached the docks, and Lucas saw the sailor from the ship, who had helped him with Leo, standing near a small boat. He was untying it from a small pole on the pier, and Lucas decided that this was probably the best moment. He approached the man, and said, "Hey."

The man looked up, and closely examined Lucas from head to toe. "Oh." He said. "You again? The monkey givin' you trouble?" He said in a very amused way, as if a monkey attacking you was a very funny story.

"Well, yes, he has in fact. And I'm going to need your help again." Lucas said. The man listened, motioning him to move on. "Well, my Pokemon seems to have thrown my pokeball into the ocean, and I'd like you to retrieve it."

The sailor nodded, and then said, "Well, I'll take you to that spot, but you're gonna have to get the pokeball yourself." Lucas sighed. More work, to do by himself? Great, this was definitely the best day of his life. But anyways, Lucas nodded. He was ready to do anything to get his Espeon back, even swim his way there... if he knew how to swim, that is.

The butler, trainer and fire monkey climbed into the little boat with the sailor, who untied the complicated knots tying the boat to the pier. Soon, the boat was bobbing over slowly to the spot where the pokeball had fallen.

"The name's Jacob, by the way." The sailor said quietly, still looking at the strange trio of an arrogant little kid, a butler, and a now rather depressed Pokemon.

"Yeah, okay, thanks..." Lucas mumbled, not looking back. He leaned over the side of the boat, peering into the water, trying to locate the pokeball. It had probably sunk to the ocean floor, fortunately the waters here were rather shallow, so it couldn't have gone down really deep.

"Okay, so now what? How do I get the pokeball from the bottom of the sea?" Lucas asked, looking at Jacob. Jacob took out a pokeball from his pocket, and casually tossed it to Lucas, who barely managed to hold onto it with his two hands.

"There's a Pokemon in it. He'll help ya guys out. Just do it quick, it's gettin' late." He said. Lucas looked at the pokeball, and tossed it into the air, making a small crab-like Pokemon to pop out of the pokeball.

"'Tis a Krabby." Said Jacob, seeing the confusion on Lucas's face. Lucas's nodded, as if he knew what a Krabby was. Now that he had the Pokemon, what was he supposed to do? Apparently, Leo knew the answer to that. The monkey, who had up til now been hiding in the corner of the boat, jumped up and started to chat with the Krabby. The Krabby nodded, and immediately jumped into the water.

"Uh, Jenkins? What were they talking about?" Lucas asked Jenkins, watching the crab descend into the deep into the water. Jenkins shrugged.

"I'm not an expert on Pokespeak, but I think Leo convinced the Lrabby to dive into the water and get the pokeball." Jenkins said, with little doubt in his answer. Lucas whistled. At least Leo felt guilty about this and was helping them out.

Two minutes passed. Those two minutes seemed like an eternity when finally the Krabby emerged from the deep blue of the sea. In his claws, he was holding 2 pokeballs, both looking exactly the same.

"Uh, something's wrong. I mean, I lost just one Pokemon, why are there two pokeballs with Krabby?" Lucas asked Jacob.

"One of 'em must be yours. The other one might be someone else's, lost long ago. Just, get your pokeball and let's get outta here." Jacob said roughly, and impatiently. Lucas examined the two carefully. This was tricky, both of the Pokeballs were the same, unfortunately. Lucas thought there was no way to find the difference between the two, but then he noticed a small dent on one pokeball. He felt it under his fingers, and realized that that was the spot where Leo had kicked the ball. He quickly took that pokeball and tossed it into the air, and the Espeon quickly jumped out from it.

Lucas quickly hugged the Pokemon, and the Espeon looked surprised and confused. They hadn't even spent a minute together, and Lucas already bonded with her, already cared about her. This was certainly... weird. Lucas backed off and looked at the Pokemon closely. He needed to give her a suitable name, but all was his attention was focused on the gem on the Espeon's forehead.

"...Amethyst..." Lucas said dreamily, as if under a trance. That was a good name for the Espeon. She seemed to like it too, as she settled herself near her new trainer's leg. Lucas then looked at the other pokeball in his hand, the pokeball that was probably owned by some other trainer.

"Wonder what's in this one?" Lucas said loudly, as he tossed it into the air. And immediately wished he hadn't done so.

From the pokeball emerged a humongous blue colored monsterish Pokemon, which looked vaguely like a dragon. As soon as it was in the water, it gave out a huge roar, and it was so huge that his presence in the water itself made the boat rock violently.

"IT'S A GYARADOS! TOWARDS THE SHORE, QUICK!" Jacob yelled. All of the passengers in the boat started to panic, and started to try and push the boat towards the shore as quickly as possible. The Gyarados splashed around in the water violently, probably happy to have got out of his pokeball after such a long time.

Unfortunately for the people in the boat, everytime the Pokemon splashed it sent huge waves through the sea, rocking the boat and making it impossible to move ahead. Inside the boat, Lucas, Leo and Amethyst were scared out of their minds, as they cowered on the floor of the boat. Jenkins and Jacob rowed as hard as they could, with Krabby floating in the water, pushing the boat along.

The Gyarados then managed to catch a glimpse of the boat in the water, and immediately cried out in rage. He unleashed a Surf at the boat, producing a 10 foot wave rushing towards the group with incredible speed. There was nothing that the boat could do as all the passengers were swept away by the wave, making all of them fall into the water, and get swept away by the surf.

*****

About 10 minutes later, Lucas woke up at the shore of Januvale town, with his two Pokemon, Leo and Amethyst by his side. Jacob was staring straight at his face, trying to make him wake up, and when he finally did so, he stood up in triumph.

"Good, you're awake." he said, as Lucas removed sand from his shirt. He was completely drenched, with sand in his shoes and his hair dripping wet, he felt really cold with the slight breeze.

"Where's Jenkins?" Lucas asked, rubbing his head vigorously. Jacob pointed in the water's direction, and Lucas followed his finger - and immediately gasped.

Jenkin's was standing at the edge of the water, stroking the head of the Gyarados, and the monster Pokemon seemed to be...smiling. Lucas looked at him, amazed, as he slowly got up and walked towards him, his Pokemon following closely.

"Uh... Jenkins? What's going on in here?" Lucas asked him. Jenkins then seemed to acknowledge his presence, and smiled at him, happy to see him awake.

"Ah yes... when I was a young trainer, I used to come here to go on boat rides. This Gyarados here, he was one of my prized Pokemon. I had owned him when he had been just a small, weak Magikarp, I had trained hard to help him evolve into this fine Pokemon. Until, well, one day, his Pokeball just went missing. For several years I wondered where it had gone off to, now I realize it had been in these waters after all..." Jenkins gave a hearty laugh. He seemed genuinely happy to see his Pokemon. Lucas's own two Pokemon hid behind his legs, scared of the huge figure in front of him.

"So... now that's everything okay now, shall we leave?" Lucas asked Jenkins, and he nodded. He stroked Gyarados for one or two more minutes, and finally put him back into his pokeball. The two of them thanked Jacob for his help, and left the docks, as they made their way to Joresh's house.

On the way there, Lucas asked Jenkins, "So, this is the average day in the life of a Pokemon trainer, huh?" Jenkins smiled at him.

"Yeah." He said, smiling, looking at the pokeball in his hand. "In a nutshell."

*****

In about 20 minutes, Lucas was back in Joresh's house, presenting to him the two pokeballs with his prized Pokemon. Joresh looked at him closely, then said, "Indeed... you are ready. I must admit I didn't think you would complete my task this fast, if at all. But it only proves that the guardian gods didn't make a mistake."

"Ha! How could anyone make any mistake choosing me? And doubting MY abilities is the biggest mistake you can ever make in your life." Lucas said, winking at Joresh. This seemed to irritate Joresh, as he looked away from him, but continued his speech.

"The pokémon you captured at the docks is yours to keep. You are the human who captured it and thus the human that shall take care of it. All according to the old legends about Reshiram and Zekrom..." he said, still looking away.

"Of course I'm going to keep it, there was no way I was going to give it to you!" Lucas exclaimed, and Joresh sighed. He just knew this was a mistake. He glanced at Lucas's hand again to make sure the symbol was a real thing, but then... he had had the dream too. He had definitely been chosen, and there was no way Joresh could deny that.

"Did you know that they are believed to once have brought all other pokémon to Arcanum, because only humans lived here back then? It's said that the pokémon were gifts to the humans, to allow Reshiram and Zekrom live here since they had no other place in the world where they were welcome. But it's also said that if the humans were to name pokémon as their property, they were obliged to always take care of it and do what was best for the pokémon to help it grow stronger. All pokémon want to grow stronger at some point and level. It's in their deepest nature. That is why Arcanum's pokémon trainers exist." Joresh said, as if he was telling Lucas some really useful information.

"Mhh-hmm." Lucas said, not paying attention at all. Joresh gave him a stare.

"You are now a pokémon trainer. This obligation falls upon you." He said. Lucas suddenly started to pay attention.

"I'm a Pokemon Trainer now?" He asked him. Joresh stared at him as if he was stupid.

"Um, yes? You have a Pokemon of your own." He said. Lucas was almost jumping with joy, but controlled himself. Losing his cool in front of Joresh would not get him anywhere.

Joresh then held out his hand. "My Pokemon, please." Lucas wondered about it for a second, then remembered, all this time Leo had just been with him on a loan. He took Leo's pokeball in his hand, and looked at it for a second. For the short time he had been with Lucas, they had already started to bond. He could almost feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he handed over the pokeball to Joresh.

Joresh looked at Lucas for a moment, then at the pokeball. He then handed the pokeball back to Lucas, and Lucas looked at him confused. Joresh just shrugged, and said, "The monkey is better off being with you. You both already seemed to have become emotionally attached to each other. and at least now that monkey's got somebody else to give him company..."

"I HEARD THAT! But it doesn't matter, because I want to thank you for giving me Leo back!" Lucas said, and surprisingly he hugged Joresh hard. Joresh then lead him out of his house, as Lucas happily ran away towards his waiting butler.

*****

"You see me? I'm a Pokemon trainer." Lucas said to a random passerby, showing him the pokeballs. The man looked at him as if he was mad, picking up his pace ignoring him.

"Um, sir, you shouldn't show off like that. Chances are, about 95% of this town's populations were or are trainers." Jenkins whispered to Lucas. Lucas 'oh'ed and then shut up for the rest of his trip to his mansion.

As soon as he entered his house he was attacked by his mother, who hugged him tightly, worried about him. "WHERE have you been?! And what happened to you?! Did anything happen to you?!" She asked him a few more questions but Lucas ignored them... until he couldn't do it anymore.

"GOD MOM! I'M FINE! I'M NOT A DAMN KID ANYMORE!" He yelled at her, and she looked shocked. Lucas noticed fat tears roll down her cheeks,and then realized what he had just done - he had made his mother cry. Jenkins quietly walked out of the room, giving Lucas and his mother some privacy.

"I'm sorry Lucas... it's just that... I get a little overprotective sometimes, but I really care about you a lot." He said, sobbing in between. Lucas walked up to her and gave her a little hug.

"I'm not the same kid anymore mom... I've grown up now. I'm not your little Luke anymore. I'm a... a Pokemon Trainer." He said, with pride in his voice. His mother looked at him with confusion, and Lucas told her about everything that had happened, his conversation with Joresh, his adventures in the dock. As the story moved on, the amazement on his mother's face kept increasing. When he was finished, she paused for a moment, taking it all in.

"Wow... you really have grown, Lucas." She said, running her fingers through his hair. There was now a very sad kind of happiness in her eyes... but Lucas could feel she was proud of her little Luke.

"So... I can leave on my adventure?" He asked her innocently. She pondered about it for a moment, then slowly smiled, nodding her head. Lucas grinned, and immediately jumped up, doing a fistpump.

"HELL YEAH! I'M A POKEMON TRAINER!"

[OOC: Now that was huge xD; It's around 10000 words, if my word counter is counting it right lol]